When you publish content for your brand, your goal is to provide information to your buyers that helps them decide to buy. Also, however, you want them to share with others, right? The elusive but oh-so-lucrative viral post has been known to change everything for brands that managed to get it right.
Creating a post that will go viral isn’t easy. In fact, in most cases, it’s just seems like dumb luck. There is a formula you can follow that’s guaranteed to reach people, though. That formula is the same, regardless of your target audience—only the content changes.
How do you access this formula? Well, it’s easy: Understand the psychology behind shareable content and you can replicate it again and again. In other words, you just need to know why people want to share.
To Educate or Entertain
The number one reason people share content online is to inform people or to make them feel. That’s why video has really surged in popularity as marketing content. It’s easy to cover all the bases, from information all the way to emotion.
It’s not just about video, though. In-depth articles that really make us not only think, but also think about others who might enjoy them—these also prompt shares. There is psychology behind this. When we discover new information that we want to share, a part of our brain actually lights up.
In other words, sharing information and making others feel something is important to us, as humans. That’s why social media has absolutely changed the way we market to our buyers.
To Feel a Part of Things
Sharing content also makes your buyers feel like they’re part of something. Everyone wants to feel connected, and joining in on the latest trend—sharing your content, you hope—gives them that feeling of belonging.
Content that appeals to this drive within us can range from funny to sad and everything in between. Some people want to connect with their emotions, and they’ll watch something that makes them cry again and again. Others want a good laugh in the middle of their day, so they’ll share anything that brings a chuckle. Still others like to see victory for the underdog, and they’ll share that triumph with all the underdogs in their lives.
That share gives them purpose and makes them feel like a part of something.
To Feel Powerful
People want to feel like they know something before anyone else does. Being in the know or “fear of missing out” drives a lot of what we do, and that includes sharing posts on social media. You’ve probably seen something shared a thousand times on Facebook and thought, “Eh, no point in sharing now. Everyone’s already seen it.” And yet, when that perfect post comes along—the one that makes you think, makes you laugh, makes you feel—you pounce and share it right away.
If you want to reach your buyers, think about these things before creating your content. If you can keep these reasons for sharing in mind, you might just craft the next viral video or blog. As always, if you need help creating marketing content for your brand, we’re here for you. Just give us a call.
